But Olson said Gibbs contacted the FBI instead of passing his message on to Schindler.
Olson said the FBI had been monitoring e-mails within militia groups and on Tuesday, March 29, sent an agent from Traverse City to his home in Alanson and other agents to militia leaders in the South to question them about the plan.
The FBI was unavailable for comment.
Olson said that last Thursday he phoned Gibbs' secretary with a message that he had organized 1,500 to 2,000 militia members from Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia and Michigan, who were ready to remove Schiavo from the hospice and take her in a convoy to a safe house.
Olson said he never was able to speak directly to the Schindlers or Gibbs.
"Gibbs probably told the Schindlers not to get the militia involved. That's why Schindler came out with statement that he did not want any civil disobedience. Now they're begging for someone to do something, but it's too late," Olson said.
Olson said the militias needed time to arrange for an ambulance, medical support staff and a safe house before the plan could be put into action.
"We would have overwhelmed the local law enforcement," Olson said, adding the militias would not have been armed.
Olson said the other reason for the plan was to put Florida Republican Gov. Jeb Bush, the brother of the U.S. president, on the spot.
"He would have had to send in state police or the National Guard to turn us away," Olson said. "None of us believe that he is helpless. He is the chief officer of the state and has the power of executive clemency. (Jeb) Bush was a liar when he said he couldn't do it. He knows his office has to represent the people. And judges have to know they are not infallible. All this was thwarted by Gibbs."
He said the march to the hospice would have been similar to the massive March on Washington led by Martin Luther King in 1963.
"We were just going to push people out of the way. It was the mood and the heartbeat of America," he said.
"In reality there are four branches of government in America, and we the people are the fourth. That's what our march was going to do: Show the American people that we were still in control."
"We the people are the final judges, not the black-robed demons. I do not believe that 70 percent of the American people thought it was wrong for government to get involved. They turned around when they believed Terri Schiavo's was a lost cause and wanted to be on the winning side."
"America has lost hope because, where there's life there's hope, but it is the black-robed devils who are deciding who lives and dies."
"We should all err on the side of life, whether it's an unborn American or someone facing the end of life. The feeding tube is like an umbilical cord or premature babies in an ICU (intensive care unit).
"The case of Terri Schiavo is tragic, macabre, dark and evil," Olson said.
A Call to Action ...
Excerpts from Norm Olson's e-mails, in chronological order, to southern militias as he prepared a plan to organize a mass confrontation with Florida state law enforcement with a goal of removing Terri Schiavo from the hospice where she is dying to a safe house:
Wednesday, March 23:
"Are there militia in Florida who are willing to go rescue Terri?
"How about Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana?
"I've got some very angry Michigan militia folks chomping at the bit ..."
"Shall we save Terri Schiavo?
"The Courts say NO
"The Law Makers say NO
"The Executives say NO
"It's time for us to say: 'Let's Roll!'
Thursday, March 24:
"Florida Militia: Please contact me. We're going to need several hundred willing to storm the building. I suspect that hundreds of 'civilians' may go with us. There is very little time, but I've got people ready to roll tonight."
"Failure is very probable, but not to try is to fail already."
"Too small of a force will mean total failure. It is a 'Bridge Too Far' but with enough people it may work.
"It isn't a commando raid or sneak attack. It is a mass saturation of people able to overwhelm the minimal forces there at this time."
"A large scale military assault need not be bloody. As much as we might like to, care must be taken to avoid inflicting injury on the bad guys."
Sunday, March 27:
"I would ask Mr. and Mrs. Schindler to make the following statement:
'We have said that we do not want civil disobedience to save Terri's life. But time is nearly gone. We are asking that the militia and concerned citizens intervene immediately, doing WHATEVER IS NECESSARY to save our daughter." (emphasis in the original)
"I'm at a total loss as to what to do. Unless the parents ask for our help, we would be walking into a disaster... I can imagine that the pacifists (spineless Christians and others) would actually oppose OUR effort to save Terri, saying that civil disobedience is against God's Will..."
"Without the Schlinders' clear and decisive call to the militia, we would be faced with civilians who would oppose us for resorting to civil disobedience to free Terri. As much as I would want to try, it is a mission impossible. There is just no workable plan."
Fred Gray can be contacted at 439-9374 or
[email protected]
